Wash Your Hands Than Use Hand Sanitizers

The magic hand sanitizer doesn’t have to be the best defense against the prevention of the spread of the novel virus. In fact, The University of Westminster has released a study that claims the best defense against the infection is the conventional soap and warm water hand wash.

Markets have gone empty and pharmacy shelves are dry as people stock up hand sanitizers. According to the Data company Kantar, the sales of hand sanitizers rose 255 percent in one single month. Videos and information have also been floating on how we can create our own hand sanitizers at home.

The culprit that carries germs is either human moisture or the oil in our hands. While human moisture is immediately released through pores, sneezing, breathing and coughing, frequent use of hands-on foreign surfaces can also transmit the virus easily to self and others. Therefore washing hands religiously is a better defense against the spread than using hand sanitizers.

There are two main types of hand sanitizers: alcohol-based and alcohol-free. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers contain varying amounts and types of alcohol, often between 60% and 95% and usually isopropyl alcohol, ethanol (ethyl alcohol) or n-propanol. Alcohol is known to be able to kill most germs.

Alcohol-free hand sanitizers contain something called quaternary ammonium compounds instead of alcohol. These can reduce microbes but are less effective than alcohol. Not only are alcohol-based hand sanitizers found to be effective at killing many types of bacteria, they are also effective against many viruses, including the influenza A, Hepatitis A, HIV, and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

Additionally, it is important to know that alcohol actually attacks and destroys the envelope protein that surrounds some viruses like coronavirus and is, therefore, more effective if they alcohol content is more than 60percent in a hand sanitizer. Some people complain that repeated washing does dry them, but this is good news for the coronavirus to not spread.